Vacuum cleaner bag docking assembly

ABSTRACT

For use with vacuum cleaner bags of the type having a substantially rigid collar surrounding the bag opening, and with vacuum cleaners of the type having a dirty air outlet nozzle, a vacuum bag docking assembly is shown and described. The assembly incorporates an anchor member having a central opening for closely receiving the dirty air outlet nozzle. The assembly also incorporates a mounting member which engages the collar on the vacuum bag to secure the bag to the bag mounting member. The bag mounting member is pivotally connected to the anchor member, and moves between a loading position in which the bag can be inserted or removed from the mounting member, and a working position in which the bag opening engages the dirty air outlet nozzle.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention is directed to a bag docking assembly and, moreparticularly, to an assembly for docking a vacuum bag in the properorientation for engagement with a dirty air outlet nozzle on a vacuumcleaner, and for retaining the vacuum bag in the position of engagement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vacuum cleaners, such as upright vacuums, remove dirt from a carpet bycreating a suction strong enough to draw the dirt particles from asection of the carpet up into the vacuum cleaner where the dirty air ispassed through a vacuum bag in which the entrained dirt is captured. Toincrease the efficiency of this process, a base portion of the vacuumcleaner often has a roller brush for agitating dirt from the carpet asit is being vacuumed.

Inside the vacuum cleaner, a dirty air conduit transfers the dirty airfrom the base of the vacuum cleaner to the vacuum bag. The dirty airconduit runs up a handle assembly or, in cases where the dirty airconduit is rigid, the dirty air conduit can itself function as a portionof the handle. At the end of the dirty air conduit opposite the floorthere is a dirty air outlet nozzle where the dirty air exits from thedirty air conduit. The vacuum bag is attached to the dirty air outletnozzle.

The vacuum bag has a bag opening that fits closely over the dirty airoutlet nozzle. The vacuum bag is otherwise a completely closed bag thatis made from a porous material that allows air to flow through it, butwhich is too fine for most dirt particles to pass through. As dirty airpasses through the vacuum bag, the air is forced through the porousmaterial and the dirt is trapped in the bag. The bag thus collects thedirt from the dirty air and, more importantly, from the floor. Becausethe material of the vacuum bag is often fragile and can get very dusty,the vacuum bag is commonly held within a protective outer bag.

The outer bag is typically placed over the dirty air outlet nozzlefirst, with the dirty air outlet nozzle extending through a hole in theouter bag. A clip is then forced over the dirty air outlet nozzlebetween the outer bag and a protrusion on the outer surface of the dirtyair outlet nozzle. The clip retains the outer bag in the proper positionfor use. Finally, the vacuum bag is placed over the remaining length ofthe dirty air outlet nozzle, and the outer bag closed.

To eliminate the need for emptying or cleaning the vacuum bag after ithas collected dirt, vacuum bags have been modified over the years to bedisposable. This allows the user to merely discard the dirty vacuum bagand replace it with a new, clean one. To adapt the vacuum bags for easyreplacement, the bags have been designed so that the bag opening can bereleasably engaged with the dirty air outlet nozzle.

One common vacuum bag design incorporates a reinforced area, known as acollar, surrounding the bag opening. The collar is usually a square orrectangular piece of thin cardboard. To install the vacuum bag, the userholds the collar by one or more edges, and forces the bag opening overthe dirty air outlet nozzle. The collar can be designed with an elasticseal extending inward from the circumference of the bag opening tofurther seal the gap between the dirty air outlet nozzle and the bagopening.

Two primary problems exist with disposable vacuum bags. First, becausethe disposable vacuum bag is designed to be held within the outer bag,the dirty air outlet nozzle is often positioned deep within the outerbag and is hidden from sight. The user can initially look into the outerbag and see the dirty air outlet nozzle; however, when the vacuum bag ispartially positioned for engagement with the dirty air outlet nozzle,the vacuum bag interferes with whatever unobscured view the user had ofthe dirty air outlet nozzle. As a result, the vacuum bag must beinstalled entirely be feel. Installing a vacuum bag by feel increasesthe possibility that the bag opening will not be properly aligned withthe dirty air outlet nozzle when the installer pushes the collar ontothe vacuum cleaner. If the collar is not aligned properly, forcing thecollar onto the dirty air outlet nozzle can bend or break the collar. Avacuum bag with a bent or broken collar is more likely to leak ordisengage during operation.

Another problem associated with disposable vacuum bags is that thevacuum bag is not held firmly to the dirty air outlet nozzle. The collaris often held onto the dirty air outlet nozzle by a small protrusion ora thin tab of cardboard. When the vacuum cleaner is turned on, the airrushing into the vacuum bag tends to urge the collar in a direction ofdisengagement from the dirty air outlet nozzle. As the vacuum bag fills,the pressure increases and, consequently, so does the force on thecollar. If the collar is damaged during installation, or if thecardboard tab is not strong enough, the bag can disengage duringoperation, allowing dirty air to fill the outer bag. This results in theouter bag, which is not disposable, becoming soiled with dust and dirt.

Numerous different collar arrangements have been designed to retain thecollar over the dirty air outlet nozzle. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No.5,092,915 to Lackner; U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,455 to Lackner; U.S. Pat. No.5,464,460 to Bosses; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,486 to Jacob et al. Thesedesigns generally incorporate protrusions on the dirty air outlet nozzlethat engage with the collar. The interference between the protrusionsand the collar retains the collar on the dirty air outlet nozzle. Aswith the traditional designs, if the collar is damaged, the vacuum bagcan still leak or disengage from the dirty air outlet nozzle.

One invention, U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,298 to Bosses, attempts to solve theproblem of aligning the vacuum bag with the dirty air outlet nozzle byadding an additional layer on the surface of the collar. The additionallayer has a large, circular opening. The user can lightly press the faceof the collar against the dirty air outlet nozzle and move the collararound until the dirty air outlet nozzle falls into the gap created bythe additional layer. This lets the user know that the collar is in theproper position to be pressed against the dirty air outlet nozzle. Thisdesign does not incorporate any additional features to help retain thecollar on the dirty air outlet nozzle.

One attempted solution to the problems of both alignment and retentionis discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,038 to Kopko et al. This inventionis designed for use with a vacuum cleaner having a rigid housingsurrounding both the vacuum bag and the dirty air outlet nozzle. A hingeis integrally formed to the inside of the housing. A mounting plateholding the vacuum bag by its collar is attached to the hinge, andpivots to engage and disengage the vacuum bag from the dirty air outletnozzle. The hinge is designed with positive stops to prevent themounting plate from rotating too far. When the mounting plate is rotatedto the point of engagement, the collar on the vacuum bag seals with thedirty air outlet nozzle. When the mounting plate is rotated to the pointof disengagement, a user accessing the unit from the back of the housingmay remove the vacuum bag from the mounting plate and replace it with anew one.

One problem associated with the Kopko et al. invention is that it islimited to use on vacuum cleaners having rigid housings. Without a rigidhousing, the invention does not provide or suggest any place to attachthe hinge. Another problem is that the hinge is designed with positivestops at the rotational limits. The mounting plate is thus only free torotate over a limited angle. This limits the number of orientations inwhich the invention may be applied.

A need therefore exists for an improved bag docking assembly foraligning a vacuum bag with a dirty air outlet nozzle, and for retainingthe vacuum bag in the position of engagement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved bagdocking assembly for aligning a vacuum bag for engagement with a dirtyair outlet nozzle on a vacuum cleaner, and for retaining the vacuum bagin the position of engagement. The invention also serves to retain anouter bag to the vacuum cleaner. The invention is directed to a vacuumcleaner bag docking assembly for use with vacuum cleaner bags of thetype having a substantially rigid mounting collar surrounding the bagopening. The assembly incorporates an anchor member and a mountingmember.

The anchor member serves to attach the bag docking assembly to thevacuum cleaner. The anchor member can be a substantially flat piece ofplastic having a central opening for closely receiving the dirty airoutlet nozzle on the vacuum cleaner. The central opening can have ashoulder for engaging a rim or similar protrusion formed about theperimeter of the dirty air outlet nozzle. One edge of the anchor membercan have a first hinge member.

The mounting member can also be fabricated from a piece of flat plastic.The mounting member can have side walls, an end wall, and channels abouta portion of its perimeter for engagement with the edges of the collar.The mounting member has a central opening corresponding to the locationof the opening in the vacuum bag when the collar is engaged with themounting member. One edge of the mounting member can have a second hingemember complementary to the first hinge member on the anchor member.

During operation, the anchor member can be slid over the dirty airoutlet nozzle with the central opening in the anchor member closelyfitting around the perimeter of the dirty air outlet nozzle. The edgehaving the hinge member is preferably oriented at the bottom. Theresilient material of the anchor member is forced beyond a rim orsimilar protrusion on the dirty air outlet nozzle, and the rim holds theanchor member in place against the handle assembly of the vacuumcleaner.

The mounting member is pivotally connected to the anchor member byengagement of the first and second hinge members. The mounting member isfree to rotate over an angle of approximately 180 degrees, from thepoint where the mounting member abuts the anchor member (the workingposition) to the point where the mounting member abuts the vacuumcleaner handle. At some point between the two angles, the mountingmember is in a position that is convenient for the insertion and removalof the bag collar from the mounting member (the loading position).

When the mounting member is in the loading position, the bag collar canbe inserted or removed from the mounting member while in plain view ofthe user. The edges of the bag collar slidably engage the channels inthe mounting member and the channels retain the collar in the properlocation and orientation to engage the dirty air outlet nozzle. When themounting member is rotated into the working position, the bag openingengages the dirty air outlet nozzle. Because the mounting member holdsthe collar in the proper orientation for engagement, the user does notneed to align the bag with the dirty air outlet nozzle. The user canmerely pivot the mounting member against the anchor member and therebyengage the bag with the dirty air outlet nozzle.

In another embodiment, the opening in the mounting member is adapted toclosely receive the anchor member when the assembly is in the workingposition. A latch can retain the mounting member against the anchormember, thereby retaining the vacuum bag in the position of engagementwith the dirty air outlet nozzle. The latch can be a resilientprotrusion extending from the perimeter of the anchor member. When themounting member is pivoted to engage the anchor member, the protrusionis forced through the opening and retains the assembly in the workingposition.

In yet another embodiment, the anchor member can have an entrancechannel along one of its edges and a reduced neck portion between theentrance channel and the central opening. In this embodiment, the anchormember engages the dirty air outlet nozzle from a transverse direction,with the resilient neck portion distorting around the dirty air outletnozzle. Once the dirty air outlet nozzle is engaged with the centralopening, the neck returns to its original shape and retains the anchormember in place.

In still another embodiment, the side walls and end wall of the mountingmember intersect at opposing corners. At least one of the corners ischamfered to have a portion thereof set off at an angle to both the sidewall and end wall. The collar is fabricated with a complementary profileso that the user is assured that the collar is engaged with the mountingmember in the proper orientation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a vacuum cleaner incorporating a bagdocking assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of a vacuum cleaner bag and avacuum cleaner incorporating a bag docking assembly according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded isometric view of a bag docking assembly accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a bag docking assembly according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial section view as viewed along Section 5—5 of FIG. 3of the anchor member of a bag docking assembly according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial section view as viewed along Section 6—6 of FIG. 3of the mounting member of a bag docking assembly according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partial section view as viewed along Section 7—7 of FIG. 3of the mounting member of a bag docking assembly according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of a vacuum bag collar according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a vacuum bag collar according to yetanother embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a vacuum cleaner bag dockingassembly for docking a vacuum cleaner bag in the proper orientation forengagement with a dirty air outlet nozzle on a vacuum cleaner, and forretaining the vacuum bag in the position of engagement. Many specificdetails of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in thefollowing description and in FIGS. 1-6 to provide a thoroughunderstanding of such embodiments. One skilled in the art, however, willunderstand that the present invention may have additional embodiments,or that the invention may be practiced without several of the detailsdescribed in the following description.

FIG. 1 shows a bag docking assembly 10 according to one embodiment ofthe present invention in a position of engagement with an upright vacuumcleaner 12. The vacuum cleaner 12 has a base 14 and a handle assembly16. In this embodiment, a portion of the handle assembly 16 is a hollowtube serving as a dirty air conduit 18. The dirty air conduit 18connects the base 14 with a dirty air outlet nozzle 20. The dirty airconduit 18 can also be independent of the handle assembly 16. The bagdocking assembly 10 is preferably removably attached to the dirty airoutlet nozzle 20. A protective, outer bag 22 can be positioned aroundboth the dirty air outlet nozzle 20 and the bag docking assembly 10.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a vacuum bag 24 positioned to engagethe bag docking assembly 10, and the bag docking assembly 10 positionedto engage the dirty air outlet nozzle 20 on the vacuum cleaner 12. Thevacuum bag 24 has a bag opening 26 through which dirty air enters thevacuum bag 24 for collection of entrained dirt. The bag opening 26 issurrounded by a reinforced collar 28. The bag opening 26 can also besurrounded by an elastic seal 30 to create a more air-tight seal whenthe vacuum bag 24 is engaged with the dirty air outlet nozzle 20. Thevacuum bag 24 may also be designed to have a sliding panel 32 thatslides between an opened position and a closed position over the bagopening 26 to prevent spillage when the vacuum bag 24 is disengaged fromthe vacuum cleaner 12. A retainer opening 34 is located on the slidingpanel 32 to provide a grip for retaining the collar 28 and for movingthe sliding panel 32.

The bag docking assembly 10 incorporates an anchor member 36 and amounting member 38. The structure and operation of both the anchormember 36 and the mounting member 38 are discussed in detail below.Generally, the anchor member 36 retains the bag docking assembly 10 tothe vacuum cleaner 12. The mounting member 38 is pivotally attached tothe anchor member 36. The mounting member 38 pivots between a loadingposition, in which the collar 28 of the vacuum bag may be engaged ordisengaged with the mounting member 38, and a working position, in whichthe bag opening 26 engages the dirty air outlet nozzle 20.

FIGS. 3 and 4 best illustrate one embodiment of the bag docking assembly10. The anchor member 36 preferably takes the form of a substantiallyflat member composed of resilient material, preferably plastic, that ismolded to have a central opening 40 for engaging the dirty air outletnozzle 20. The central opening 40 in the anchor member 36 is larger thanthe dirty air outlet nozzle 20 to allow the dirty air outlet nozzle 20to pass through the central opening 40 in the anchor member 36. In oneembodiment, a portion of the central opening 40 is adapted to have ashoulder 42. The shoulder 42 forms a recess which closely and captivelyreceives a complementary elevated portion on the dirty air outlet nozzle20, such as a rim 43, a protrusion, or a flange.

In the preferred embodiment, the anchor member 36 is constructed to havean entrance channel 44 at one point about the perimeter of the anchormember 36 to allow the anchor member 36 to be inserted over the dirtyair outlet nozzle 20 from a transverse direction. The entrance channel44 is contiguous with the central opening 40 in the anchor member 36,and is separated from the central opening 40 by a reduced neck 46. Theneck 46 is resilient enough to deform as it passes over the dirty airoutlet nozzle 20 and return to its original shape once fully engaged.The neck 46 thus holds the anchor member 36 to the dirty air outletnozzle 20.

To install the preferred embodiment, the anchor member 36 is firstpositioned adjacent the dirty air outlet nozzle 20 with the generalplane of the anchor member 36 on the side of rim 43 closest to thehandle assembly 16. The anchor member is slid in a direction transverseto the dirty air outlet nozzle 20 until the dirty air outlet nozzle 20is completely engaged with the central opening 40. The anchor member 20is then urged against the rim 43 until the recess in the shoulder 42closely contacts the rim 43. The outer bag 22 can be interposed betweenthe anchor member 20 and the handle assembly 16 to urge the anchormember 20 against the rim 43, or other biasing means can be substituted(FIG. 1).

In the preferred embodiment, the mounting member 38 is formed of aplastic that has been injection molded into a substantially planar body.The mounting member 38 is formed with an opening 52 that is positionedto correspond with the bag opening 26 when the collar 28 of the vacuumbag 24 is retained within the mounting member 38 in the proper positionfor engagement with the dirty air outlet nozzle 20 on the vacuum cleaner12 (FIG. 2), as discussed in more detail below. In the preferredembodiment, the opening 52 in the mounting member 38 is large enough toengage the perimeter of the anchor member 36.

The mounting member 38 can be pivotally attached to the anchor member 36by a hinge structure, such as a first hinge member 48 on the anchormember 36 and a second hinge member 58 on the mounting member 38. Themounting member 38 can rotate over an angle of up to 180 degrees betweenthe point where it contacts the anchor member 36 and the point where itcontacts the handle assembly 16. A latch mechanism, such as a protrusion50 (FIG. 5) and a material receiving notch 56 (FIG. 7) can be utilizedto retain the mounting member 38 against the anchor member 36, i.e.,retain the mounting member 38 in a working position, as illustrated inFIG. 4.

Portions of the perimeter of the mounting member 38 can have one or morechannels 54 for slidably receiving the edges of the collar 28 on thevacuum bag 24. The thickness of the channel 54 is slightly larger thanthe thickness of the collar 28 to allow the user to easily slide thecollar 28 onto and off of the mounting member 38.

The perimeter of the mounting member 38 may also have a retainer member60 (FIG. 6) that extends from the perimeter of the mounting member 38toward the center of the opening 52. The retainer member 60 ispositioned to engage the retainer opening 34 in the collar 28 of thevacuum bag 24.

In another embodiment, the mounting member 38 is shaped to receive acollar 28 having a chamfered comer 64. The collar 28 in this particulararrangement has two opposing side margins and an end margin connectingthe two side margins (FIG. 8). One or both of the corners between theside margins and the end margin can be chamfered 64. The mounting member38 can be formed with one or more corresponding chamfered corners 62.

During operation, the bag docking assembly 10 is engaged with the dirtyair outlet nozzle 20 on the vacuum cleaner 12. The outer bag 22 canfirst be positioned over the dirty air outlet nozzle 20, and the bagdocking assembly 10 is then positioned to hold the outer bag 22 inplace.

The anchor member 36 can be installed by first positioning the centralopening 40 in the anchor member 36 directly over the dirty air outletnozzle 20. The anchor member 36 is then pressed so that a protrusion ora rim 43 on the dirty air outlet nozzle 20 is forced through the centralopening 40 in the anchor member 36. The shape of the central opening 40in the anchor member 36 is close enough to the shape of the dirty airoutlet nozzle 20 that the rim 43 on the dirty air outlet nozzle 20retains the anchor member in its proper position for operation. Theengagement of first hinge member 48 with second hinge member 58 preventsthe entrance channel 44 from distorting, locking the anchor member 36onto the dirty air outlet nozzle 20.

The anchor member 36 can also be installed by having the engagementsection 44 engage the dirty air outlet nozzle 20 from a transversedirection. The neck 46 is forced over the dirty air outlet nozzle 20 andresiliently recovers its original shape, holding the anchor member 36onto the dirty air outlet nozzle 20. The rim 43 on the dirty air outletnozzle 20 prevents the anchor member 36 from sliding off of the end ofthe dirty air outlet nozzle 20.

The mounting member 38 is pivotally attached to the anchor member 36 bythe engagement of the first hinge member 48 and the second hinge member58. In the preferred embodiment, where the first hinge member 48 ispositioned for use at the bottom of the anchor member 36, the pivotingaxis is substantially horizontal. Consequently, the mounting member 38can rotate to a vertical orientation, as shown in FIG. 1, in which thesecond hinge member 58 is at the bottom, i.e., into the workingposition. From the working position, the mounting member 38 can rotate180 degrees to a position in which the second hinge member 58 is at thetop of the mounting member 38. Between these two positions, the mountingmember 38 pivots through a number of orientations in which the mountingmember 38 is directed away from the handle assembly 16 and toward theopening of the outer bag 22. In at least one of these positions, definedas a loading position, a user can remove a full vacuum bag 24 from themounting member 38 and replace it with a new vacuum bag 24. The loadingposition can be separated from the working position by an angle greaterthan 90 degrees.

The vacuum bag 24 can be engaged with the bag docking assembly 10 byinserting the collar 28 between the channels 54 on the mounting member38. When the vacuum bag 24 is fully engaged with the mounting member 38,the bag opening 26 aligns with the opening 52 in the mounting member 38.When the bag docking assembly 10 is rotated into the working position,the bag opening 26 aligns with and engages the dirty air outlet nozzle20.

In one embodiment, the collar 28 is formed to have a sliding panel 32that can move between an open and a closed position across the bagopening 26 (FIG. 6). The retainer member 60 has a substantiallyhemi-spherical portion 61 at its distal end having a beveled front edge63 that engages the retainer opening 34 when the collar 28 is fullyengaged with the mounting member 38. The engagement of the retainermember 60 with the retainer opening 34 operates to close the slidingpanel 32 over the bag opening 26 upon removal of the vacuum bag 24 fromthe mounting member 38. When the user removes the vacuum bag 24 from themounting member 38, the hemi-spherical portion 61 of the retainer member60 resists the force exerted by the user. The force necessary to movethe sliding panel 32 is less than the force necessary to disengage theretainer member 60 from the retainer opening 34. As a result, thesliding panel 32 remains stationary as the collar 28 is removed from themounting member 38. Once the sliding panel 32 is fully closed over thebag opening 26, a positive stop 66 in the collar 28 prevents the slidingpanel 32 from sliding further. At this point, all of the force exertedby the user is transferred to the retainer member 60. This additionalforce frees the retainer opening 34 from the retainer member 60 anddisengages the vacuum bag 24 from the mounting member 38.

In another embodiment, the collar 28 has a recess 65 constructed tosurround the retainer member 60 when the collar 28 is engaged with themounting member 38 (FIG. 5). The collar 28 does not have a sliding panel32. Consequently, the recess 65 prevents the retainer member 60 frominterfering with the collar 28.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specificembodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, various modifications may be made without deviating fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is notlimited except as by the appended claims.

1. A vacuum cleaner bag docking assembly for use with a vacuum baghaving a substantially rigid mounting collar surrounding a bag openingand a vacuum cleaner having a dirty air outlet nozzle configured toproject through the bag opening and into the vacuum bag; the assemblycomprising: an anchor member having a central opening therein forclosely, releasably receiving the dirty air outlet nozzle; and amounting member releasably coupled to the anchor member to retain theanchor member in engagement with the dirty air outlet nozzle, themounting member having a portion thereof for engaging the collar tosecure the vacuum bag to the mounting member for movement therewith; themounting member having an opening oriented for registration with the bagopening; the mounting member pivotally connected to the anchor memberfor movement between a loading position in which the vacuum bag isinserted or removed from the mounting member and a working position inwhich the bag opening engages the dirty air outlet nozzle.
 2. Theassembly of claim 1 wherein the dirty air outlet nozzle has anengagement section for receiving the anchor member; the anchor member iscomposed of a resilient material; and the anchor member has an entrancechannel continuous with the central opening and a neck at a point alongthe entrance channel that is narrower than the engagement section, theanchor member being sufficiently resiliently deformable when themounting member is disengaged therefrom to permit the anchor member tobe mounted on or removed from the dirty air outlet nozzle andsufficiently rigid when the mounting member is engaged therewith torestrict the anchor member from being removed from the dirty air outletnozzle.
 3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the loading position isseparated from the working position by an angle greater than 90 degrees.4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the mounting member is substantiallyplanar, the anchor member is substantially planar, and the anchor memberis constructed to have a shape complementary to the opening in themounting member so that the assembly is substantially planar when in theworking position.
 5. The assembly of claim 4 further comprising a latchoperable to releasably retain the assembly in the working position. 6.The assembly of claim 5 wherein the latch comprises a protrusionextending from the edge of the anchor member that engages the opening inthe mounting member when the assembly is in the working position.
 7. Avacuum cleaner bag docking assembly, as claimed in claim 1, for use withvacuum cleaner bags having a retainer opening in the collar, theassembly comprising: a protuberance on the mounting member positioned tobe received by the retainer opening in the collar to hold the bag inplace after insertion.
 8. The assembly of claim 7 for use with a vacuumcleaner bag having the retainer opening positioned on a sliding panel inthe collar and wherein the protuberance located on the mounting membersuch that removal of the collar from the mounting member while theprotuberance is engaged with the retainer opening causes the slidingpanel to move from an open position in which dirt is permitted to enterand exit the bag opening to a closed position in which dirt is preventedfrom entering or exiting the bag opening.
 9. An upright vacuum cleanercomprising: a handle assembly, at least a portion thereof comprising adirty air conduit; a vacuum bag; a dirty air outlet nozzle mounted tothe handle assembly, the nozzle communicating with the dirty air conduitand projecting from the dirty air conduit for engagement with a vacuumbag; an anchor member having a central opening for closely, releasablyreceiving the nozzle, the anchor member being sufficiently deformable topermit the central opening to be engaged with or removed from thenozzle; and a mounting member releasably connected to the anchor memberand movable between a loading position in which the vacuum bag isinserted into or removed from the mounting member and a working positionin which an opening in the vacuum bag engages the nozzle, the mountingmember restricting deformation of the anchor member when connectedthereto to restrict the anchor member from being removed from thenozzle.
 10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the loading position isseparated from the working position by an angle greater than 90 degrees.11. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising a latch operable toreleasably retain the assembly in the working position.
 12. A vacuumcleaner bag docking assembly, as claimed in claim 9, for use with vacuumbags having a retainer opening in the collar, the assembly comprising: aprotuberance on the mounting member positioned to be received by theretainer opening in the collar to hold the vacuum bag in place afterinsertion.
 13. The assembly of claim 12 for use with a vacuum cleanerbag with the retainer opening positioned on a sliding panel in thecollar and wherein the protuberance is located on the mounting membersuch that removal of the collar from the mounting member while theprotuberance is engaged with the retainer opening causes the slidingpanel to move from an open position in which dirt is permitted to enterand exit the bag opening to a closed position in which dirt is preventedfrom entering or exiting the bag opening.
 14. A vacuum cleaner bagdocking assembly, as claimed in claim 1, for use with vacuum cleanerbags in which the collar has opposing side margins, an end margin, andcorner portions between the end margin and the opposing side margins,and in which at least one corner portion is beveled at an angle to theend margin and the adjacent side margin; the bag docking assemblycomprising a portion which closely conforms to the at least one cornerportion.
 15. A vacuum cleaner bag comprising: an air-permeable baghaving an opening; and a collar attached to the bag surrounding theopening, the collar having an end edge, a first side edge, a second sideedge opposing the first side edge, an orientation surface, and a recessadjacent the end edge, wherein the first and second side edges are in agenerally vertical orientation during use, the end edge is in agenerally horizontal orientation during use, the first and second sideedges are free from the bag, the orientation surface comprises an angledsurface extending from the first side edge to the end edge, and theorientation surface is adapted to orient the opening of the bag.
 16. Thevacuum cleaner bag of claim 15, wherein the orientation surfacecomprises a chamfered corner of the collar.
 17. The vacuum cleaner bagof claim 15, wherein the collar includes a second orientation surfaceextending from the second side edge to the end edge.
 18. The vacuumcleaner bag of claim 15, wherein the collar further includes a retaineropening.
 19. The vacuum cleaner bag of claim 15, wherein the collarfurther includes an elastic seal surrounding the bag opening.
 20. Thevacuum cleaner bag of claim 15, wherein the collar further includes asliding panel that slides between an open position and a closed positionover the bag opening.
 21. The bag of claim 20, wherein the collarfurther includes a positive stop limiting the movement of the slidingpanel.
 22. The vacuum cleaner bag of claim 20, wherein the collarfurther includes a retainer opening.
 23. A bag for receipt in a mountingmember having a channel and a first orientation surface, the bagcomprising: an air-permeable bag having an opening; and a collarattached to said bag surrounding said opening, said collar having an endedge, a recess adjacent said end edge for surrounding a retainer memberof the mounting member, a first side edge, a second side edge opposingsaid first side edge, and a second orientation surface, said secondorientation surface extending from said first side edge to said endedge, said second orientation surface being complementary to the firstorientation surface of the mounting member, wherein said secondorientation surface is adapted to orient said opening of said bag uponcontact with the first orientation surface of the mounting member. 24.The bag of claim 23, wherein said second orientation surface comprises achamfered corner of said collar.
 25. The bag of claim 23, wherein saidcollar further includes a retainer opening for engagement with themounting member.
 26. The bag of claim 23, wherein said collar includes athird orientation surface extending from said second side edge to saidend edge.
 27. The bag of claim 23, wherein said collar further includesa sliding panel that slides between an open position and a closedposition over the bag opening.
 28. The bag of claim 27, wherein saidcollar further includes a retainer opening for engaging the mountingmember.
 29. The bag of claim 28, wherein said retainer opening isadapted to engage the mounting member such that a force necessary tomove said sliding panel is less than a second force necessary todisengage the mounting member from said retainer opening of said collar.30. The bag of claim 27, wherein said collar further includes a positivestop limiting the movement of said sliding panel.
 31. The bag of claim23, wherein said collar has a thickness less than the channel of themounting member channel.
 32. A vacuum cleaner assembly comprising: adirty air outlet nozzle; a vacuum bag having a substantially rigidcollar surrounding a bag opening; a bag docking assembly mountedadjacent the dirty air outlet, the bag docking assembly comprising: ananchor member having a central opening for closely, releasably receivingthe dirty air outlet, the anchor member being sufficiently deformable topermit the central opening to be engaged with or removed from the dirtyair outlet, and a mounting member releasably connected to the anchormember and movable between a loading position in which the vacuum bag isinserted into or removed from the mounting member and a working positionin which an opening in the vacuum bag engages the dirty air outlet, themounting member restricting deformation of the anchor member whenconnected thereto to restrict the anchor member from being removed fromthe dirty air outlet.
 33. The assembly of claim 32 wherein the loadingposition is separate from the working position by an angle greater then90 degrees.
 34. The assembly of claim 32 wherein the mounting member issubstantially planar, the anchor member is substantially planar, and theanchor member is constructed to have a shape complementary to theopening in the mounting member so that the assembly is substantiallyplanar when in the working position.
 35. The assembly of claim 34further comprising a latch operable to releasably retain the assembly inthe working position.
 36. The assembly of claim 35 wherein the latchcomprises a protrusion extending from the edge of the anchor member thatengages the opening in the mounting member when the assembly is in theworking position.
 37. The assembly of claim 32 further comprising aretainer member attached to the mounting member for engaging theretainer opening in the vacuum bag.
 38. The upright vacuum cleaner ofclaim 9 wherein the vacuum bag further comprises a collar having twoopposing sides margins, an end margin, and corner portions between theend margin and the opposing side margins, and in which at least onecorner portion is beveled at an angle to the end margin and the adjacentside margin.
 39. The assembly of claim 32 wherein the substantiallyrigid collar further comprises opposing side margins, an end margin andcorner portions between the end margin and the opposing side margins, atleast one of the corner portions being at an angle with respect to theend margin and the adjacent side.